Dealing with email is the best part of my day. No one ever said.
Email is stressful even if you're not looking for inbox zero. You need all the advice you can get to stay on top of it, unless of course you're planning on ditching email altogether 4 Influencers Who Don't Use Email (And Why) 4 Influencers Who Don't Use Email ( And why) It's hard to imagine a life without email, but some people choose to stop using it altogether. That includes US senators and famous filmmakers. Read more . Today we bring you six tips to help you reduce stress related to email.
This advice has a different reason than you may think. Apps like Boomerang and SndLatr let you schedule emails for later. Here's the obvious benefit of that. You can compose a large number of emails in advance at a time of your convenience and have them sent automatically at a time of your choosing.
the hidden benefit here is that by using a scheduler, you gain control over the timestamp the recipient of the email sees . Let's see how it can be useful, but first, ask yourself this:
If you answered yes For any or all of these questions, you're probably plagued by email and IM interruptions at inconvenient times. You might even feel compelled to get into unnecessary discussions about your workflow.
Here's a clever way to tackle this problem. Schedule emails for times you typically spend on low-attention tasks like PC maintenance. That way your actual working hours Time Block:The Secret Weapon for Better Focus Time Block:The Secret Weapon for Better Focus Are you looking for a more efficient way to organize your work days? Try time lock. This time management tactic can help you stay on track while keeping distractions, procrastination, and unproductive multitasking at bay. Read More .
We've all been there - accidentally hitting Send in an unfinished email or sending a ranting email and regretting it later.
Not all email applications have the Undo Send feature. What's new in Good Old Gmail? 5 Features You Must Check Out What's new in Good Old Gmail? 5 Features You Should Retire You may have missed out on some of the new features that Gmail has gradually added in the last year. So let's take a look at what deserves our attention. Read More Also, you can't make your email recipients “unread” emails just because you made a mistake sending them.
Here's a simple trick to avoid these kinds of problems with email and following strokes. Don't add the email address when you start writing an email. Save that for last. It will serve as a reminder to check everything you have written. Even if it's your turn to hit Send , you won't have to worry about that because that email isn't going anywhere until you type in the recipient's address.
It doesn't take much to remove annoying or useless email. But when you get a steady stream of those emails day in and day out, they take up a lot of your time and attention.
Let's just say if it's in your inbox, it's on your mind . And you don't want your brain space to be dealing with things you don't want or need, least of all email.
Install a system to filter spam How to set up email filters in Gmail, Yahoo Mail and Outlook How to set up email filters in Gmail, Yahoo Mail and Outlook Email filter is your best tool to maintain your inbox clean and organized. Here's how to set up and use email filters in Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and Outlook. Read More You'll have to figure out how to do this based on your email service or desktop email client How to Set Up Message Filters in Thunderbird How to Set Up Message Filters in Thunderbird Read More
In Gmail, you'll find the filter and sender block features hidden in the More dropdown in an email message:
Incoming emails from blocked addresses go directly to the spam folder. You can also create Gmail filters (and unblock senders) through Settings> Filters and blocked addresses. While you're at it, see what else you can do to stop emails from cluttering up your inbox 3 Easy Ways to Stop Email Overload from Hitting Your Inbox 3 Easy Ways to Stop Email Overload from Hitting Your Inbox Inbound Email has a reputation as a productivity killer. Managing email well can help you keep your inbox clean, but wouldn't it be great if you had less to begin with? Read more first.
I'm referring to a couple of emails related to writing guidelines from time to time. If you also have some favorite emails that you need to access frequently, you can keep them starred. But a better way to make them available for quick access is by pinning them to the Start screen. A Guide to the Windows 10 Start Menu A Guide to the Windows 10 Start Menu Windows 10 solves the Start Menu dilemma! Getting familiar with the new start menu will supercharge your Windows 10 experience. With this handy guide, you'll be an expert in no time. Read More
Open the Mail app and right-click any email you want to add to the Start screen. In the context menu, click Pin to start. You can even pin an individual email account to the Start screen:
To pin emails to the start menu in Windows 7 or 8, first save them to your computer. Now navigate to the saved location and drag and drop the email onto the Start Menu button. Done? Open the Start menu and you'll find that email there as a pinned item.
You can also pin an email to the context menu of the Outlook icon on the taskbar by dragging the saved email to the taskbar icon.
If you have a well-organized inbox, chances are you'll be able to find the right emails faster than most people. But what really saves you a lot of time and headache is its ability to search emails How to Search Emails in Gmail Efficiently How to Search Emails in Gmail Efficiently Read More . Take advantage of email features like tags and search operators. to narrow down your searches.
Gmail has some advanced search options that you can display by clicking the little arrow next to the search button:
Here's an example to show you the benefit of using search operators to find the right posts. Let's say you're looking for a bunch of PNG photos sent as email attachments in Gmail by a friend named Greg.
You can search for Greg to open the emails sent by him and then scan the results to find the email you want. But a faster and more effective way to find those photos would be to use a query like greg has:attachment name:.png .
Sometimes a quick call can save you a lot of emails back and forth. The key is to identify which issues are better handled through a phone call than through email. You will stay firm about keeping the conversation on point , though. Otherwise, the five-minute chat you had in mind could turn into one big party.
Before you make the call, have a very short list of the points you want to discuss ready. If it seems like you have more to discuss than you can do in a short call, save it for an email or a scheduled meeting.
I got to inbox zero and I'm glad I did because it has improved my workflow. But, it's not a goal you should feel compelled to achieve, no matter who recommends it as such.
If an empty inbox isn't something that works for you, feel free to stop or skip your search. You may feel like a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders.
Even if you decide to give up the daily waste frenzy, Make an effort to organize your emails. . Otherwise, you'll just add more stress to your day by letting your inbox become unmanageable.
Popular Email Tips That Tell You To Unsubscribe From Promotional Emails, Use Canned Replies 4 Ways To Creatively Use Canned Replies For Email Productivity 4 Ways To Use Canned Replies For Email Productivity If It's Effective , you are doing something right. This is why you should use email filters and schedule mail time. One trick is to prepare canned responses for emails you write frequently. Read More But it's the little changes, like the ones listed above, that bring you email zen.
What simple trick has reduced email stress by changing the way you handle your inbox? Tell us in the comments.!
